Through archeology, archival records, and oral history, the Ransom and Sarah Williams farmstead project has revealed the story of one African American family’s transition from slavery to freedom. In a larger sense it represents thousands of other African American families whose stories cannot be told.

Cabeza de Vaca’s accounts of life among the native peoples of Texas and Mexico in the early 1500s have long piqued the imagination and curiosity of scholars and lovers of history. Much attention has been directed to fleshing out details of the explorer’s life and trying to pinpoint the route he and his companions traveled from the Gulf shores through south Texas and deep into Mexico. In this multi-section essay,...